Igawa down, perhaps for good

As expected the Yanks dispatched Kei Igawa to Scranton today to make way for Ian Kennedy on the Big League roster. I’ll be back in a bit with the game thread, but I have to wonder if this it for Kei in New York. Baring some catastrophic injury, is there anything that would put him next on the Yankees starting pitching depth charts? With Jeff Karstens working his way back from injury and various young arms on the rise, Kei shouldn’t see anymore New York innings.

I doubt they will cut someone they spend so much money on. I also find it hard that anyone will want to trade for him.

http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.

Oh, they won’t cut him, but I think he’s very low on the depth charts after this latest stint.

Mike N (Stamford, CT)

I am sure there is a GM out there or a pitching coach that thinks they can fix Igawa. Take what ever you can get for him.

TurnTwo

AKA Dave Duncan in St. Louis?

http://WWW.SAMIAMSPORTS.BLOGSPOT.COM SAMIAMSPORTS

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mustang

46 MILLION DOLLARS.. Down the toilet must be nice.

http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

As of right now it’s only $30M down the toilet (posting fee + last year’s salary). There’s still a chance, albeit a very tiny chance, that someone wants him and will assume his salary.

mustang

Ok.
30 million and if Cashman can get anyone to assume his salary he might be as good of a GM as you guys make him out to be.
Good luck.

flynn

Isiah Thomas got fired, outside of him I don’t see any GM willing to take on that salary.

Joey

Ben, you’re delivering news from the Gods to me! Thank you. *tear

question mark

……think the Padres still want him? :)

Manimal

I can finally sleep well tonight knowing Kei Igawa will never throw a pitch as a yankee ever again.

http://www.myspace.com/j_panama Jamal G.

I think this deal may have some damage overseas. MLBTR notes that Japanese pitcher, Kenshin Kawakami, prefers the Boston Red Red Sox for his Major League team. I think that has to be in part of the success and failure of Daisuke Mtasuzaka and Kei Igawa. The Yankees sending Kei Igawa to the Minor Leagues, which was deserved, may have a negative impact on future Japanese players and their willingness to come to the Yankees.

Now this is all speculation but you can not discount the fact that players like Yu Darvish and future Japanese stars may have this in the back of their minds when decision time comes. I know the players really don’t have a say in the matter but I bet you if they pull an Eli Manning with the Yankees, Brian Cashman & Co. will wisely lay off said player.

For whatever reason, the starting pitchers from Japan can’t seem to cut it here. Nomo, Irabu and Dice-K were/have been league average for the most part, and they were the absolute best Japan had to offer. The hitters do fine, and the relievers usually do well for two years or so before fading into obscurity.

Relaunch

I think this year Dice-K is better so far. I agree for the most part about the pitchers but i do think the hitter do not do fine here either. Sure there has been Matsui and Ichiro (too early to tell about Fukodome but he does look like the real deal), but there have been some pretty bad ones too. Imawara was a 30hr guy in Japan!

whozat

He didn’t say their hitters remain superstars, he said they do fine. Iwamura had a solid debut year, for what the Rays are paying him. At 2B, where his D looks very good to me, if he replicates his numbers from last year he’d be solid.

As for Matsuzaka, I really don’t think he can continue to miss the zone as much as he does and have long-term success. I know his ERA is great thus far, but his peripherals really don’t indicate that he’ll hold it up, I don’t think.

Tripp

It has to be White, Karstens, Horne, Giese, McCutchen, Marquez in front Igawa at this point.

Joey

What would be more painful to see at this point? David Wells back in Pinstripes or Igawa getting called up? :)

http://nyyu.blogspot.com Mike @ NYYU

I was hoping they would have sent him to Trenton (or lower) to try to get him to ask for a buy out of his contract so he can become a free agent.

I would love to know who in the Yankees system thought that this guy could pitch in the Major Leagues. It’s easy to blame Cashman, but someone scouted him and made the recommendation.

What Scranton will do for this cluck is beyond me. He was not a ball of fire there either.